1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to materials delivery systems for use in surgical instruments having a knife blade. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to systems for repeatedly resupplying or recoating a knife blade with a treatment material as it passes through tissue.
2. Background of Related Art
During various surgical procedures, tissue is grasped by the jaws of a surgical instrument and cut or severed by a knife blade passing through the jaws. Often it is desirable to treat the cut tissues with various materials capable of providing clinical benefits, such as, for example, hemostasis, antimicrobials, etc. These materials are typically available in powder form which can be applied to the knife blade of the surgical instrument as a coating. The powdered coating is then transferred to the tissues as the knife blade passes therethrough.
However, as the knife blade passes through the tissue, the coating is progressively worn off during transfer to tissue. In situations where the knife blade has an extended stroke through the tissue, for example, in a linear stapling device, the coating may be depleted as the knife stroke continues, providing inadequate application of material, and may even become completely worn off prior to the end of the knife blade stroke leaving later areas of tissue untreated.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide a material supply system for use in resupplying treatment material to the knife blade of a surgical instrument as the knife blade passes through tissue grasped between jaws of the surgical instrument. It would be further desirable to provide a material supply system for use in resupplying treatment material to a knife blade of a linear stapling device.